Handy Auto Guide

Drive Arabia highlights the impressive technological, safety and structural features of the 2007 Chevrolet Lumina. ‘The all-new 2007 Chevrolet Lumina range offers impressive exterior and interior design and unprecedented variety to reaffirm the marque's segment leading position and proven qualities. Inspiration for the 2007 Lumina has been drawn from some of the most famous cars and aspirational brands in the world to redefine the concept of upper medium segment.

A review of GM's 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck has been posted over at Business Week. 'The new Silverado matches or surpasses its main rivals—the Ford F-150 (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/19/06, "America's Favorite Pickup Truck") and the Dodge Ram—in just about every respect, from fuel economy to features and options to plain old versatility. For instance, if you're on a budget and just want a basic pickup, you can just go with the regular cab, two-wheel drive, and the basic Z83 suspension.

A review of the 2007 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ has been posted over at BusinessWeek. 'The Suburban has been around in one form or another since 1935, and after having been a hot seller for most of the last decade, sales for 2006 were down by nearly 10,000 to just over 77,000, for an 11% drop year-over-year. Of course SUV sales, especially for behemoths like the Suburban, have suffered across the board. The equally large Ford (F) Expedition is in even worse shape, slipping nearly 23%, and DaimlerChrysler's (DCX) Dodge Durango posted a dismal 39% drop

Drive Arabia have published a review of the spacious 2007 Chevrolet Optra 1.6 sedan. 'While the Optra can be said to have pleasant styling with a decent shape, it is hard to accept that this car came from the same Italian design house that has penned Ferraris for decades. Our rental did look funky though, with its orange paint job and jewel-like lights, though the detailing was largely conservative. Our tester was fairly new, with less than 10,000 km on the clock, with no evidence of accidents except for minor scratches. It was the most basic model, but it still came with body-colour outer door handles and side mirrors as well as hubcapped 15-inch wheels, even if they were not alloys. In contrast, a base Honda Civic has black door handles, and a base Toyota Corolla still rides on 14-inch wheels. However, build quality did not match either of those cars, with slightly misaligned door panels and what not.'

The folks over at Jalopnik took the 2007 Chevrolet Camaro for a spin and posted their impressions in a review of the coupe concept. 'If driving a concept car is silly, writing a review of a concept car is like showing up at a black-tie wedding at the Ritz wearing clown shoes, red nose and a Bozo wig. Therefore if you're reading this review to help you decide between buying any next-gen pony cars, whether the Camaro, the Challenger or the Mustang when they all hit the showroom floor in the next year and a half -- just stop reading right now. Seriously, just look at the 28 brand-spanking-new pictures of the drop-top below taken courtesy of our very own Mike Bumbeck.'

Motor Trend have posted their “test-driven” review of the 2008 Chevrolet Corvette. ‘The Corvette team is relentlessly chipping away at every reasonable argument a rational buyer can articulate for choosing some big-name, bucks-up, blue-blooded bahn-stormer over the crossed-flag cruise missile that Zora launched. This C6-1/2-generation Vette boasts more refinements and detail enhancements than one expects from a mid-cycle refresh of a supercar, but are they enough to steer the Porsche/BMW/Benz/Jag buyers into a Chevy store? To find out, we spirited a manual coupe and an automatic convertible away from the General's Milford Proving Ground for a romp across rural southeast Michigan.’

CNET have published a review of the 2007 Chevrolet HHR wagon. 'If this were 1950, we would be pretty impressed by the Chevrolet HHR. Its body style, although lower down with narrower windows, would fit right in with the line of Chevy panel trucks. The automatic transmission would seem a bit luxurious, like something out of a Cadillac, and we would probably try to jam a 45 record into the thin slot below the radio display. The handling would feel in line with most other cars on the road.

CNET have published a review of the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 coupe. 'With the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the name of the game is acceleration. The car is blindingly fast--when you stomp the accelerator, the world gets blurry. The Z06 has been clocked at 3.5 seconds from 0 to 60mph, which is super-car territory. Driving on public roads, this acceleration means you can pull in between fast-moving traffic or pass on two-lane highways with little worry. One problem with the speed of the Corvette Z06, besides imperiling your driver's license, is that you'll be cheating bystanders out of a long look at a very handsome car. While it is a big, ferocious sports car, it has a svelte mid-section. The hood dips down gracefully in front, while the back flares up like a Le Mans racer from the late 1960s. And it's proved an excellent car in more recent Le Mans races, taking multiple first-place wins in the GT1 class over the past five years.'

A review of the 2007 Corvette Z06 has been posted over on Jalopnik.com. 'Little in the physical world, save a perfectly ripened Georgia peach or a first, frenzied roll in the hay, compares with putting foot to floor at 75 mph and watching numbers on the Z06's heads-up screen compound like the national debt clock. Perhaps base-jumping off Thomas Jefferson's Mount Rushmore schnoz might send a stouter charge through the adrenals, but the combination of that agreeable rumble from the engine room, the spectacular dash-top arithmetics and the sight of an overzealous RX-8 vanishing in the rear-view mirror releases more endorphins than a month at Six Flags.'

The Autoblog have published ther “First drive” review of the 2008 Chevrolet Corvette. ‘The shift quality of the six speed transaxle wouldn't qualify as silky, but the lever could be moved rapidly through the gates allowing us to make use of the surprisingly quick revving LS3. When the time came to stop, the 'Vette decelerated as though an anchor had been driven into the ground beneath it. The interior has also been greatly improved relative to older models with clear legible gauges and controls that fall readily to hand. The upgrade of materials found inside the cabin for 2008 was definitely noticeable, as well. Check out the leather covered dash complete with stitching where there once was a sea of plastics.’

A review of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu sedan has been posted over at SearchChicago.com. ‘Large door handles and openings make it easy to get in and out of the quiet, finely crafted interior, which has a very spacious rear-seat area. Front seats are supportive, and the large audio and climate controls can be easily used. Backlit gauges are easy to read even in bright sunlight. And the ignition switch is on the dashboard, so a driver need not grope to find it on the steering column. The glove compartment won't hold much more than the owner's manual. But there's a fairly deep covered front console storage bin, besides a shallow covered bin atop the dashboard. Front doors have fairly good-sized storage pockets and beverage holders, but rear door pockets are too slim to be very useful. Rear windows lower all the way, but cupholders are at the back of the front console near floor level.’

A review of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu models has been posted over at the USA TODAY. 'Chevrolet has been struggling to craft a car with the appeal of the long-ago Malibu, one that — as the 1960s original — would look cool, behave itself in most situations and deliver a bit of spunk. The Malibu of yore mainly was a snazzy compact, relying on its name more than its hardware to call up images of beach and bliss. It endured until 1983. Chevy (GM) revived the name in 1997 in an attempt to give velocity to a plain-Jane, midsize Chevy rival to Japan's sedans. Starting with the all-new '08 version just now in showrooms, there's another identity. The newest Malibu is supposed to be "a $40,000 car for $20,000," Chevy says.'

A review of the 2008 Chevrolet Corvette has been posted over at SearchChicago.com. 'The biggest change for 2008 is the engine. The LS3 6.2-liter engine delivers 430 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque. That’s up from last year’s numbers of 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. The test vehicle had the optional dual mode exhaust ($1,195), which increased the power ratings even more to 436 and 428 respectively. Whether I was sitting still or hurtling down the highway, I could feel the sheer power as it literally rocked the car. Pushing the ignition button made the car shake as the engine rumbled to life, and I could feel the power coursing through the Corvette at every point of contact from my toes to my shoulders.'

SearchChicago have published a review of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell (hydrogen-powered) vehicle. 'This Equinox with a fuel cell is about one step away from real, honest-to-goodness production. In fact, this year Chevrolet is launching a 30-month program called “Project Driveway,” where 100 of these Equinox Fuel Cells will end up in the garages of hundreds of real consumers living in Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Los Angeles. Each driver will have the Equinox for three months and report their thoughts and opinions back to Chevrolet. Once the test period has concluded, all the data will aid the creation of a production vehicle. What these driver’s will experience with the Equinox Fuel Cell is something very similar to what they’d get with a regular gasoline-powered vehicle. Only kind of different.'

AutoMiddleEast have published a review of the Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 SUV. 'The Tahoe Z71 – note the moniker – is Chevrolet’s off-road weapon for all those looking for an urban SUV with space to spare which can be equally effective on black top as well as off it. Propelled by a small-block 5.3-litre V8 producing 355 gross horsepower and 504 Nm of gross torque, the Tahoe Z71 is definitely not short of power. Add to this Active Fuel Management (AFM) technology and this gargantuan SUV becomes even more of a good thing. This AFM tech enables shutting four of the eight cylinders down when cruising to enhance fuel economy without a hiccup. When extra power is needed, the system seamlessly activates the full range of cylinders and unleashes the full array of power – just like that!

A review of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid sedan has been posted over at CNET. 'We spent our first few days with the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid driving it around the traffic-choked streets of San Francisco. During that time, we saw our average fuel economy hold around 19 mpg, far below the 24 mpg city economy promised us by the EPA. On the highway, the Malibu Hybrid is supposed to get 32 mpg. Strong hybrid systems, such as that found in the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, get better fuel economy in the city than on the highway, but the BAS system in the Malibu Hybrid doesn't produce that type of efficiency.

A review of the Chevrolet Aveo 1.2 compact has been posted over at The Independent. 'So why might you want an Aveo? Is it cheap, given that it wears the badge of General Motors' blue-collar, no-nonsense, global value brand? Prices will be announced when UK sales start next month, but they're likely to start around £7,500 and rise to about £11,000 for the top-spec Aveo with a 1.4-litre engine and four-speed automatic transmission. That means the cheapest version is indeed temptingly inexpensive next to rivals, especially given the likely perkiness of even the 1.2-litre engine which, at 84bhp, out-powers entry-level rivals. And the 1.4 manages 101bhp, which is quite impressive.'

The Truth About Cars have published a review of the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ 4×4 SUV. ‘The Tahoe is a happy, jumbo-sized appliance. Its massive prow encapsulates the truck's clean, modern design. Although endlessly, relentlesly generic, the big Chevy's sheetmetal is handsome enough from any angle– without getting within two counties of ostentatious (or unpredictable). The $2,365 White Diamond treatment adds pearlescent sparkle to the Tahoe's paint job; the chrome grillwork shines through like a gleaming chain mail vest.

A review of the 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 supercar has been posted over at BusinessWeek.com. ‘From the outside, the Z06 has a number of design cues that distinguish it from the regular Corvette. There's an air scoop on the hood, and "Z06" badges on the carbon fiber front fenders. The rear fenders have bigger flares to accommodate the massive rear tires, and there are four huge, stainless steel exhaust pipes poking out the rear end. Inside, the distinctions are subtle. The Z06 has special sports seats, with "Z06" logos on the headrests, and there's a Z06 logo on the instrument gauge cluster.

CNET have published a review of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ sedan. ‘Chevy offers two engine choices in the 2008 Malibu LTZ, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder Ecotec and a 3.6-liter V-6. We had the smaller engine. What we didn't expect to see in this car were paddle shifters on the steering wheel. These paddles hint at a bigger surprise in the Malibu, a six-speed automatic transmission. To use the manual shifting capabilities of the automatic, you have to put the shifter into the M position, one down from Drive. We were impressed that the transmission held the gears we selected right up to redline. However, the manual shifts are a little sluggish, with a gap between the time you make a shift and feel it.

Inside Line have published their "test driven" review of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 2dr Hatchback. 'This ZR1 produces 638 hp — the equivalent of the power produced by the 405-hp 1995 Corvette ZR-1 (the "King of the Hill Corvette") plus a 1984 Corvette plus a 1968 Citroën 2CV. Or think of it this way. If you bolted three 1980s-era Corvette L83 small blocks end to end to end to produce a single V24 engine, it would still produce 23 hp fewer than the ZR1's supercharged LS9 V8. For perspective, the total power received by the earth from the sun is considerably higher at 174.0 petawatts (1015 watts) or 233,334,000,000,000 hp*.'

BusinessWeek have published a review of the Chevy Corvette ZR1 supercar. 'The new Corvette ZR1 is already the stuff of legend. Developed as an ad hoc skunkworks project, the new Vette was born of a remark by General Motors (GM) CEO Rick Wagoner, who wondered aloud what the Corvette design team could come up with if it had a mandate to develop a $100,000 car. Code-named Blue Devil, after Wagoner's alma mater, Duke University, the ZR1 is the fastest and most powerful production car ever made by an American manufacturer. It has a 638-horsepower V8 engine and can accelerate from zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds—in first gear.